Vendakka Theengapaal Curry/ Okra in Coconut Milk

Time to break my silence!

The last few months have not been very good for me. I was trying to find myself, which I guess is hard. Especially when you have forgotten what you are! There were changes happening to me - physically and mentally. It was hard for me to compose and collect myself. So I decided to let go of myself! Let go of my singing and dancing, but most of all my cooking. Cooking turned out to be a necessity for me rather than passion.

After years and months of struggle I realized that I was lacking God's wisdom in my life. "What is God's wisdom?" you may ask. Nothing that one's logic or reasoning can find answer to. It is like a plate of food sitting on the table - a food that is unseen and unheard of. You can sit for days contemplating on what the food is like, trying to understand it's taste and texture. But isn't that futile. You cannot understand what that food really is unless you are ready to reach out for it and put a morsel into your mouth. Yes, God's wisdom is also waiting for us to reach out, to taste, to understand. It is not up to God but up to you to make the decision.

So very much like this Okra in Coconut Milk. Though I grew up eating this curry with it subtle flavours, I realized that this curry is unheard of in many parts of Kerala. Most of the people I have come across were very hesitant to try out this dish. But some were ready to take the risk and taste it. The responses have been mixed. So now I guess it is for you, my readers to make a decision. Do you want to turn away your heads seeing the dish or do you want to prepare it and see if it appeals to your senses. The choice is yours!

Serves: 2 - 4
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 - 20 minutes

Ingredients 

• 400g okra, cut into 1 inch sizes
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 medium green chilly, slit (adjust to taste)
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 cup thick coconut milk
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup warm water
• salt to taste

Method
1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan, add okra and salt and stir constantly until okra is almost done (3/4 done - the glue of okra should not be present). Keep aside.
2. Heat the remaining oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add sliced onion,garlic, green chilly and curry leaves and stir through until onion is soft and translucent. Add cooked okra and stir through for a few seconds. Add coconut milk and water (adjust water depending on how loose or thick you want the gravy to be) and mix well without mashing okra. Season to taste. As soon as the mixture starts boiling switch off flame, cover and keep for atleast 30 minutes before serving.

This is best served as soon as it is cooked.

Serve with hot rice and spicy fish/meat curry.